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The hero of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Massoud. An unparalleled commander, feared as the "Lion of Panjshir" during the war with the Soviet Army, Massoud waged a fierce war against the Taliban, a regime strongly supported by Pakistan, as the chief commander of the anti-Taliban United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan (Northern Alliance). He was revered by many for not only his military genius, but also his good-natured character. His dream was a free and peaceful nation built by the Afghan people themselves. However, on September 9, 2001, Massoud was killed by a suicide bomber posing as a journalist, just two days before the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.A. The shadow of Bin Laden lurked behind Massoud's assassination, and there is no doubt that it was closely linked to the terrorist attacks in the U.S.A. As the Taliban regime began to collapse and a decisive blow was dealt to the Al-Qaeda, in Afghanistan, where unceasing war had continued for twenty long years, peace finally seemed to settle upon the country. At the inauguration ceremony for the interim government in Afghanistan, intended to be the first step toward a new peaceful nation, a great portrait of Commander Massoud was displayed above the podium, and his death became a symbol of the unity of Afghanistan. Massoud's life teaches us that a hero is not just a historical fantasy. Seven years have passed since Massoud's assassination, but the people of his country have inherited his vision and they will continue to preserve it.

In this new work of non-fiction, Japanese photojournalist Hiromi Nagakura unfolds a story meant to be told to future generations based on the experiences he shared with Ahmad Shah Massoud and his Afghan guerilla fighters (Mujahideen) which he recorded over numerous years. This work, while an expansion of Lion of the Ravine – Commander Massoud and the Afghan Fighters, a book originally published by the Asahi Shimbun in March of 1984, will be enhanced with a new preface currently being penned by author Nagakura, and since never-before-seen photographs not released in the original Japanese version are also now available, this book is sure to be a superior quality memoir of Massoud and his Afghan guerilla fighters.